The present invention is directed to wireless networking, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for configuring wireless networking host devices,
Many client devices today, such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phone, communicate data wirelessly. Such wireless client devices typically follow a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, such as. IEEE 802.11 (wireless Ethernet), often referred to as “Wi-Fi.” Some of the common revisions of IEEE 802.11 that have been implemented include 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n and 802.11ac. Such revisions often differ by varying one or more of wireless networking frequencies and ranges, frequency bandwidths, channels, data rates and modulation schemes. As a result of such variations, the range of operation and data throughput for the wireless network often vary.
For example, with respect to 802.11b networks, wireless networking frequencies are in the 2.4 GHz range. Within that range, multiple channels exist, each with a varying center frequency and a total bandwidth. For example, the center frequency for the first 802.11b channel, “Channel 1,” is 2.412 GHz with a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Accordingly, 802.11b networks may typically operate wirelessly with an indoor range exceeding 100 feet and an outdoor range exceeding 400 feet. These ranges may be limited, for example, by factors such as surrounding noise, physical obstructions, and interference from other devices.
To access wired networks, such as IEEE 802.3 (wired Ethernet) networks, and ultimately wide area networks (WAN) and the Internet, wireless client devices typically first connect to wireless host devices, such as wireless access points (AP), routers, gateways and/or bridges. Consequently, it is increasingly commonplace for numerous such wireless host devices to exist in widely dispersed locations to support such access to wired networks. Each wireless host device is often configured to run according to a particular protocol on a given channel and, as a result, will have an incumbent signal strength which may be observed from other locations.
When deploying new wireless host devices so as, for example, to increase wireless accessibility, care must be taken to ensure the maximum effect for the wireless host device in serving wireless client devices is achieved. Numerous factors may contribute to degrading performance of wireless host devices, including surrounding high-frequency noise from other sources, physical obstructions such as walls and buildings, the presence, location and configuration of other neighboring wireless host devices, and signal interference.
What is needed is an improved mechanism for consistently and reliably determining an optimal configuration for newly-deployed wireless host devices. In addition, what is needed is a mechanism for intuitively providing such information to a user to facilitate subsequent manual configuration of wireless host devices.